‘Pray for us.’ Elderly Tri-City couple grateful, but struggling after losing home to arson

Two water-damaged New American Bibles sat this week near the Christmas tree and a warm hearth in Lillian and Ernesto Parra’s temporary home in Pasco.

The Bibles that have been in the family for nearly 40 years are among the few possessions the elderly couple managed to salvage after an arsonist torched their house in August.

“What can you say? Your whole life is gone. It’s all gone,” said Lillian Parra, 88. “But the power of prayer has not stopped.”

With the arrival of the holidays, the Parras are counting their blessings and savoring precious time with family, knowing the ordeal came too close to a more tragic end.

The whole experience has left the couple’s spirit shocked and shattered. The trauma of losing their Court Street home of 25 years — filled to the brim with decades of cherished memories — has been almost too much to bear.

Lillian and Ernesto Parra met with the Tri-City Herald this week at the home along the Columbia River where they’ve been staying in the fourth months since the fire.

Lillian Parra said it’s been both tranquil and lonesome living there. The only visits they get these days are from physical therapists and their daughter.

“Though the cage can be made of gold, it’s still a prison,” she said, quoting an old Hispanic proverb.

They vividly remember the frightening fire that forced them to rush down the stairs and outside, barely escaping with just their night clothes and cell phones.

“’Grab your glasses, the smoke is coming up the stairs. The house is on fire!’” Lillian recalls Ernesto shouting as she awoke.

Despite the quick escape, Lillian Parra suffered some burns and was flown to the burn unit at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

The four weeks she spent there were the longest time the couple had ever spent apart in 66 years of marriage.

Still, the Parras said they are thankful for the outpouring of help from the community and neighbors.

They’ve received nearly a hundred cards, more phone calls and voice messages than they can return, and several gifts.

Among them were two beautiful rocking chairs.

Friends also helped them find a west Pasco house that’s a short walk to the river.

It will take many more months for Lillian’s wounds to heal, at least a year to find a new permanent home and much more time to reckon with their other losses.

“There’s still love and there’s still hope and there’s still faith,” said Ernesto Parra, 89.

66-year marriage

The Parras came to the Tri-Cities from New Mexico after a friend working for the Pasco School District convinced them to move to Eastern Washington.

Both are bilingual career educators. Ernesto worked for many years as an administrator, and Lillian was a school psychologist.

The couple moved to the area in 1991, thinking they’d stay for only a few months — but months turned into years.

After a while, they bought a two-story home on the corner of Court and Road 103. They raised a grandchild in that home and watched the neighborhood around them grow.

For years, they were involved in the Pasco community and St. Patrick Catholic Parish, where they served as holy communion ministers, lectors and with chaplaincy.

Losing a lifetime

For the Parras, their home was more than just where they lived. It was at the heart of their family’s many holiday gatherings and parties.

“Even though our family is very scattered, we always had a way of getting together for Christmas. But that is not going to be this year because we’re not going to be in our home,” said Lillian.

That means they won’t be seeing their four great-grandchildren.

The house still stands, but is currently fenced off. The family is working with their insurance company, although the criminal nature of the fire has complicated matters.

“The tears just come, I can’t tell you how many times. I don’t think I have any more tears,” said Lillian.

Their family photos, paintings from American impressionist Ted DeGrazia, collectible beer steins, valuable dishes, statues of the Virgin Mary and piles of Beanie Babies are among the cherished items they lost to the fire.

“You just have to have a lot of faith. Having your house burned, without any reason, is very difficult,” she said. “But we go forth, day in and day out, and we have gone ahead and done what is necessary to bring faith in our family, to bring love and, most of all, to bring peace. Because that is what is important. It is very hard.”

The Parras wanted to thank the first responders who rushed to help that morning, including police officers, firefighters and paramedics, along with the surgeons, health care workers, physical therapists, priests, chaplains, neighbors and friends helping them through the tough spell.

Arson suspect arrest

Police and fire investigators quickly determined that the blaze was intentionally set from the outside. And home security footage led to the arrest of Landon Keene, 18.

The camera system allegedly showed him use a black bottle to our liquid at the base of the house and then light it. Court documents claim he returned a short time later when the fire was still small and added something to the fire, causing it to quickly spread up the side of the house.

Investigators later identified Keene as a suspect after a former school resource officer said he recognized him in the security footage, court documents said. He was familiar with Keene and believed he suffered from a mental illness, said investigators.

Keene is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Franklin County jail. A jury trial is set to begin Jan. 31.

Court documents don’t say why Keene may have targeted the couple, though he had a history of lashing out and threatening his own family and even stabbing his family dog in the past year, court records show.

A week after the house fire, members the Parras’ church gathered outside their home to pray for Lillian’s health and recovery.

While she was in the hospital, community members contributed meals and support for Ernesto, as well as their son and son-in-law.

While the Parras aren’t sure what the future holds for rebuilding, they said they know they have their community and faith to help guide them.

“If you do nothing else for us, please pray for us,” Lillian said.